


The Missing Tie

by Winmance



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Auguste (Captive Prince) Lives, Auguste and Damen are best friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hate to Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, working together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 11:14:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20152678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winmance/pseuds/Winmance
Summary: When Damen’s half-brother convinced their dad that Damen wasn’t good enough for the company, leaving him without a job or a place to live, Auguste offered him a place working with them (and not for them as Laurent often mistakenly says).Laurent hated him immediately, to no one surprise, and no matter what Damen did, he refused to change his mind.Or so Auguste thought.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by the amazing readerwriteme 
> 
> Enjoy !

Auguste walked out of his office and headed straight toward their secretary’s desk with his coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. 

He had been trying to get a hold of Laurent for an hour now but apparently, his brother had better things to do than answer his goddamn phone.

“Hey Candice, does Laurent have a meeting this morning?”

“No, or at least, nothing I’m aware of,” she replied after checking her computer.

“Was he here this morning? I keep calling him but he won’t answer.”

“Yeah, he was early, actually.”

“Thanks,” he replied with a sigh, exasperated by his own brother.

Laurent had joined him at International Vere Industry right after he’d turned eighteen and while Auguste didn’t have any doubt about his brother’s qualifications, the rest of the staff did.

He worked harder, longer and better than everyone else to prove to them all that despite his young age, he was as competent as Auguste in being their leader. It worked, of course, like everything Laurent does, but even five years later, he still won’t allow himself to relax and follow a normal schedule. He continues coming in an hour before everyone and leaving God knows when which Auguste finds quite worrying.

Too caught up in his own thoughts, Auguste almost didn’t see the door opening and barely missed slamming into it.

“Shit, sorry, are you alright?” Damen asked, reclosing the door quickly.

Damen Ackielos, the heir to Ackielos Business, had been his best friend since they met during Damen’s first year of college. Their two companies had always been rivals, but luckily enough, they quickly found out that their mutual appreciation for each other was stronger than any disagreement their families had had in the past.

That’s why, when Damen’s half-brother convinced their dad that Damen wasn’t good enough for the company, leaving him without a job or a place to live, Auguste offered him a place working with them (and not _for them_ as Laurent often mistakenly says).

“You almost knocked me out but I’m good.”

Something was off and his eyes wandered down Damen’s form, taking in each of the weird little details. His fly was still open, his shirt was inside out, and he wasn’t wearing his tie. All of that, added in with his messy hair and obviously swollen lips, only meant one thing.

He frowned, “I can’t believe it.”

“What?” Damen asked innocently.

“Were you fucking someone in there?” Auguste whispered before rumbling into laughter. “I swear Damen, all you do is fuck. Is the poor girl alright?”

“Yeah I- she’s good. We’re good.”

“Does she work here?” He then added, “Please tell me it’s not one of our clients. Laurent is already gonna be pissed as fuck if he knows you had sex with one of our employees, let alone if it was with one of our clients.”

“No, it’s not- look, it’s all good, I promise.”

“If you say so,” Auguste said. “Just make sure Laurent doesn’t find out or he will tear you a new one.”

“He won’t find out.”

“You wouldn’t have seen him this morning, have you?”

“Yes, I think I saw him. He said he had something to do, but he didn’t say what.”

Auguste struggled not to roll his eyes. Of course, he didn’t say what. Communication and Laurent have never been friends.

The door handle moved, catching both of their attention, but just as the door was about to open, Damen grabbed ahold of it, preventing the person inside from getting out.

Auguste laughed and shook his head before patting Damen affectionately on the back and continuing his search for Laurent. He hoped for Damen’s sake that Laurent never found out, otherwise, he would probably have to fire him.

He searched the bathroom, the cafeteria, the marketing department, and even the HR offices, but no one knew where Laurent was. Damn his brother and his inability to communicate even the slightest information.

He finally made it back to his office and sat down, resigned to be working alone, when Laurent finally popped through the door.

“Hey,” he simply said, taking a seat in front of Auguste. “We should start planning the annual evaluations. I know it’s a little early, but Samantha from HR is going on maternity leave in a few weeks and I want her to be a part of the evaluations.”

“Dude, seriously?” He said, dumbfounded by Laurent’s audacity. “I’ve been calling you all morning; where have you been?”

“Sorry, I had things to do.”

“Things to do? It’s not-“ Auguste looked at his brother and frowned. Something was off. Laurent was off, more than usual. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew something was different.

“What?” Laurent asked.

“Nothing, you just… seem different.”

“Different?”

“Yeah, like. I don’t know. Did you do something to your hair?”

Now, it was Laurent’s turns to frown, “No.”

“Forget it,” Auguste finally said when he still hadn’t figured it out. They had wasted too much time already. “Should we call Damen?”

“If he’s here, yes.”

“What do you mean if he’s here?”

“I mean if he’s working today. Are you sure you’re all right, Auguste? Did you hit your head?”

“No!” He quickly said, offended that Laurent was telling _him_ he was acting strange when he was the one who had been missing all morning. “I saw Damen earlier and he said you talked to him this morning.”

“Oh,” Laurent simply said. “I forgot. I’ve seen a lot of people this morning and I was quite preoccupied. Go ahead and call him, then.”

To anyone else, it would have seemed like just an oversight and nothing more. Laurent, however, never had oversights like that. He was meticulous, able to tell you the exact hour the first employee checked in and the color of his tie.

His tie. It was missing. Since he’d started working with him, Laurent had worn a tie every single day. Even the recent heatwave and casual Friday hadn’t gotten him out of his tie, but not today; today it was gone.

Auguste started paying more attention after that. Discreetly, of course, because Laurent was clever and paid attention to everything. The last thing Auguste wanted was to have to explain himself. Still, he noticed things.

First, Damen had been coming in to work much earlier than normal. While he usually had a habit of showing up around ten, he was now arriving by eight, even seven sometimes. Laurent would either already be here or would arrive only a few minutes later.

Secondly, Laurent would suddenly disappear in the middle of the day and no one would know where he was. That wasn’t odd, per se, but then Auguste realized that every time Laurent was missing, Damen was nowhere to be found either.

Lastly, and maybe the biggest clue, Damen wouldn’t meet his eyes anymore. They would be in the middle of a meeting or just eating lunch together, and as soon as Laurent’s name came up, Damen’s gaze dropped to the floor.

None of this proved anything of course. If he confronted Laurent with what he thought he had now, his brother would quickly tear down every single one of his arguments and mentally torture him until Auguste was the one confessing something. No, he couldn’t get Laurent to talk. But Damen? That would be easy.

*********

“I think Laurent is seeing someone,” he blurted out during lunch one day.

Damen choked on his meal and started coughing until his eyes were wet with tears and his face was flushed. Killing his best friend was _not _Auguste’s plan. Well, not literally, at least.

“You ok?” He asked, a little concerned.

“Yeah, sorry,” he coughed again before clearing his throat. “Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know. He seems… different.”

It was true, Laurent _was_ different. He was more playful, less stressed, and, if Auguste allowed himself to think about it, happier. He’s not sure why he didn’t notice sooner, but something had definitely changed in Laurent. For someone else, it wouldn’t have been evident, but Auguste could see it in the way he talked, the way he smiled, and in his eyes. He couldn’t recall ever seeing him like that, not for a very long time at least.

“I don’t know, I don’t really think Laurent goes out or anything.”

“Oh no, I think it’s someone from work,” Auguste said innocently as he watched Damen’s face turn red. “But it’s weird; I mean, all the employees are scared of him. I can’t imagine one of them having the balls to ask him out.”

“Yeah, they would have to be suicidal,” he laughed, his eyes focused on his salad. He was so close to breaking. Just a little more and he would spill everything. “I need to go. I have a meeting in ten minutes. I’ll see you later.” _So close_, Auguste sighed. Next time.


	2. Chapter 2

Fucked. They were fucked. Completely, totally and unimaginably fucked.

“You stress too much,” Laurent said simply when he told him.

“Your brother knows!”

“No, he doesn’t,” he replied calmly.

“How can you say that? He said you were dating someone, someone from _here_.”

“And he’s wrong,” he said, finally lifting his eyes from his paper. “We’re not dating. We’re fucking. That’s two different things.”

Right. Fucking, not dating. He had to pretend that the statement didn’t just break his heart a little bit. He wanted to scream that no, they weren’t just _fucking_, but he didn’t.

Instead, he said, “Yeah, you’re right.”

Laurent sighed, apparently aware that Damen wasn’t all that convinced.

“If he asks again, you tell him to ask me. Say you’re uncomfortable.”

“Wouldn’t that look suspicious?”

“As far as Auguste knows, I hate your guts. I don’t see how he could even begin to think of us together.”

“Do you?” He asked, ignoring most of what Laurent just said. “Hate my guts, I mean?”

“Yes. But I like your dick, so now, if you don’t mind, I would like to get fucked before Auguste comes back from his break.”

He would rather have talked about his feelings and his fears about Auguste and everything else, but Laurent was already bent over his desk, ready to take whatever he would give him, and well, Damen was only human after all. 

*********

The first time he’d seen Laurent, his whole body shut down and his brain froze. Never in a billion years would have he thought that someone could be so beautiful. Laurent seemed to have been made from his deepest fantasy, a physical representation of perfection.

“Hey, I’m Damianos but you can call me-“

“I know who you are,” Laurent had said, “and I don’t care. I don’t want you here but for my brother, and only for my brother, I won’t fire your ass right away. But make one mistake and I’ll take great pleasure in firing you.”

“If you talk like that to all of your employees, I believe you will be the one getting fired. Probably after a drawn-out HR inquiry, I might add.”

Laurent had seemed surprised at first as if he hadn’t expected Damen to reply, but soon the surprise turned into anger and before he knew what was happening, Damen was being pulled away from Auguste who was begging him to ignore Laurent.

He managed to do just that until one day when Auguste called in sick, leaving them alone together to meet their new client.

“Don’t fuck everything up,” Laurent had warned him before entering the room.

He didn’t fuck up, not even a little. His arguments were concise, he knew his topic and could answer all the questions, and, to his surprise, he could even pretend to like Laurent. They were about to sign the deal when Laurent excused himself to take an important call.

“What a cute piece of ass,” their client had said.

“Excuse me?”

“Laurent,” the man said, “I can’t even imagine what he looks like bent over. I’m sure he makes the cutest noises.”

He’s not really sure which part sent him over the edge. Maybe it was thinking about Auguste, his best friend, who made him promise, far too drunkenly, to protect Laurent if he wasn’t around. He’d never understood what his friend meant by this, but he’d still promised. Maybe it was the fact that the man was over fifty, disgusting as a pig, and married with children, while Laurent was barely twenty. It could have even been Laurent himself because as much as Damen hated him, he deserved respect.

It was maybe a little of all those things that made Damen toss the man out and storm out of the room. If he’d had any sense, he would have punched the son of a bitch too. Instead, he went back to his office, ignoring Laurent in the process, and punched his wall so hard he almost made a hole in it.

“Can I come in or are you gonna punch me?” Laurent asked.

“Listen, I had a good reason. I know that you’re pissed, but if you knew you would understand.”

“I know,” Laurent simply said, standing in the doorway. “He probably said that he would break my ass or that I would look good choking on his dick.”

“You knew?” He asked, disgusted. Was that how they got so many clients? By passing Laurent around like a piece of china to any man who asked?

“I saw the way he looked at me. I didn’t know before he came, though.”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“It happens a lot. The first time, someone said something to Auguste. The poor man wasn’t that bright and didn’t realize we were brothers. I thought Auguste was going to kill him. The others told me directly, expecting me to make the “right call” for my company.”

“Did you?”

“No,” Laurent said. He walked over and passed off a bag of ice for Damen’s hand. “And I’m glad you didn’t either.”

*********

Thinking back, Damen could say for sure that it was a trap, that Laurent expected him not to say anything so he could go and tell Auguste that he hadn’t protected him. Or maybe Laurent really had no idea and it was just fate coming between them. Either way, they tolerated each other better after that, even though Laurent still screamed at him and told him how incompetent he was.

It probably would have stayed that way too if it hadn’t been for the Montgomery contract. It was Damen’s first solo deal after working at the company for over two years. It wasn’t that Auguste didn’t trust him, but he wasn’t the boss, and they all worried that potential clients would get offended by having to deal with a subordinate. Auguste had trusted him with this one though and he wasn’t going to fuck it up.

“You’re still here,” Laurent said when he passed his office.

“Yeah, I want to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow.”

“You’re supposed to work during your work hours, not after.”

“You don’t think I’m working?”

“I think you’re phone screen kept lighting up all day with Tinder notifications. Next time we’re working in the same room, put your phone on the other side.”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t make you jealous like that.”

“Jealous?” Laurent repeated with a frown.

“Yeah. It must be so hard for you, to see me getting so many propositions when you only get hit on by old and disgusting men.”

“You’re sure are disgusting, but I wouldn’t call you old.”

“I never hit on you,” he defended himself.

Laurent was directly in front of him now, much closer than usual.

“Do you think I’m stupid, Damianos? I can see how you look at me, how your eyes always drop a little too low whenever I turn around.”

It wasn’t true. Not entirely. He never intended to make a move but who could blame him for looking when Laurent always wore such tight pants?

“I never hit on you,” he said again, more to himself than to Laurent.

“How about the girl your meeting tonight?” Laurent asked, moving closer until their feet were almost touching until Damen could feel his breath against his skin. “Is she pretty? Blonde with blue eyes? Tell me, Damianos, is she as beautiful as I am?”

“Prettier,” it was a stupid lie. Who could be prettier than Laurent?

“Is she?” Laurent laughed. “Well then, have a good night. Don’t think too much about me.”

With that, he turned around and started to walk toward the door while Damen was left to cover his hard-on.

He shouldn’t do it. Auguste wouldn’t forgive him. It was probably a trap. Definitely a trap.

“Laurent, wait,” he said.

“What? I thought you-“

He didn’t let him finish his sentence, choosing instead to run to him and shut him up with his mouth. To his surprise, Laurent’s kiss screamed inexperienced, even though he obviously tried to hide it. Damen didn’t mind though; he might even go so far as to say that made it better.

He couldn’t spend much longer thinking about the kiss because Laurent was pushing his jacket off. As soon as it hit the floor Damen grabbed the back of his thighs and lifted him up until Laurent had no choice but to wrap his legs around his waist.

“I won’t do it without condoms. God knows where you’ve stuck your dick,” Laurent warned him.

“Could you just shut up for once,” Damen mumbled, dropping Laurent on the table and laying down on top of him.

He could feel him hardening through his pants and started rubbing himself against him without hesitation until Laurent arched back with a moan. He took the opportunity to attack his throat, kissing, licking and biting every inch of skin he could find, which made Laurent scream in pleasure.

“Sensitive,” he whispered.

“Are you gonna fuck me or do you need a formal invitation?”

Damen grunted and reached for his bag on the other side of the table to search for a condom and lube. Good thing he’s always prepared.

When he turned around, Laurent was completely naked, his clothes delicately placed on the back of a chair.

“Quit staring,” he’d intended for it to be an order, but Damen could hear the shyness behind it.

“Sweetheart, I’m gonna stare and kiss every single inch of your beautiful, beautiful body.”

This time, it was Laurent who threw himself at Damen, kissing him with so much passion that Damen feared he would suffocate. He wouldn’t have minded.

*********

The next morning, Laurent acted as if nothing happened; as if he hadn’t spent most of his night screaming and moaning under Damen, begging him to fuck him harder, faster.

A week passed and Damen had accepted that it would never happen again until he got a text from Laurent.

“_Second-floor bathroom. Fifteen minutes.” _

Laurent had the door in a death grip as Damen devoured his ass for what seemed like an eternity. When Damen was sure Laurent was close, he tucked one finger in next to his tongue and Laurent came so hard he had to bite his hand not to scream. Laurent ended up in a puddle on the floor next to him, his entire body shaking from his orgasm. Damen wondered if he had been the first to do that to Laurent. He knew he wasn’t a virgin, far from, but he wasn’t sure if his experience went past plain fucking.

“No feelings,” he finally said after recovering from his orgasm. “Don’t call me because your grandma died or because you want to go out for sushi or something. I’ll set up our meetings, not the other way around. If I don’t text, you deal with it. No one can know, especially Auguste. Am I clear?”

“Yeah.”

“If I say stop, for any reason, you need to stop immediately, no questions.”

“Of course,” he frowned, not sure why Laurent felt he had to say that. Why wouldn’t he stop if Laurent asked him to?

“Great. Now, I’m gonna need you to do that thing you just did with your tongue as soon as I recover.”

Damen laughed but agreed, and Laurent was nice enough to give him a handjob in the meantime.


	3. Chapter 3

Laurent’s conditions were clear, and Damen had no trouble following them at first, but six months in Damen had to admit to himself that he’d broken the first rule. No feelings. It shouldn’t have been hard. He had fuck buddies before, plenty of them, and he never developed feelings for them. He never craved their attention, never thought about them first thing in the morning, or waited eagerly for them to text.

“She’s looking at you,” Nikandros whispered to him, nodding toward a girl at the bar.

He turned his head and looked at her. She was pretty, exactly his type, with blonde hair and a soft face. She wasn’t as pretty as Laurent, of course. Even if she had been, she wouldn’t have been as smart, wouldn’t have looked at him the same way. She wasn’t Laurent, never could be.

“Not in the mood,” he replied, focusing on his drink.

“Dude, come on! You need to have sex with someone else other than whoever you’re currently fucking.”

He was right. He should go and talk to her, maybe offer her a ride home. Maybe he would be able to think about something besides Laurent for a few hours.

His phone buzzed and Laurent’s name appeared on the screen.

“_My place. Now.” _

“I need to go,” he quickly said to Nikandros, finishing his beer in a large gulp.

“He whistles and you come running like a dog.”

“Send me a text when you get home,” he said, ignoring what his friend just said.

Laurent’s place was his favorite meeting spot. It was the only place where they could spend some time together after. When they met at work it always had to be fast and quiet, no time for extra conversation or even a quick nap. Laurent always refused to stay at his place. They would have sex and he would get up and leave as fast as he could, but Laurent’s place was different. Damen was allowed to stay the night, Laurent tucked into his arms (even though he denied it the one time Damen brought it up), and on a couple of occasions, they would even have dinner and breakfast together. Not as a couple, of course, more like two co-workers who didn’t have an option other than to stick together.

He parked his car in front of Laurent’s building and waited for someone to open the door. When he got in, he raced up the stairs two by two, only stopping once to catch his breath as not to appear too eager in front of Laurent. He was about to knock on the door when he received a new text.

“_Something came up. Can’t see you now. Sorry.” _

He bit at the inside of his cheeks, not sure what to do. He was already in front of Laurent’s apartment. He could easily pretend not to have seen the text. But what if Auguste was here? Or if Laurent simply didn’t want him here? Their relationship was fragile like a piece of glass. The slightest movement could shatter everything, and he couldn’t risk that. He turned around, ready to leave when the door opened.

“Hey,” he swallowed hard. “I, uh, I just saw your text. I was leaving.”

“See you later then,” Laurent answered, apparently not caring that Damen made all the way to his apartment for nothing.

“Is everything ok?” It was a dangerous question. Laurent was probably going to tell him to mind his own business, but he had to make sure nothing bad was happening. Once Auguste mentioned that Laurent had some major issues with their uncle and ever since Damen hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it.

“Yes.”

“Laurent?” Someone called from inside the apartment.

It was a boy’s voice, no doubt about it, probably a teenager, by the sound of it. Why would Laurent have a teenager in his apartment?

“I’m coming!” Laurent answered before turning back toward Damen. “I’ll see you at work.”

“Who is it?” Damen asked.

“None of your business.”

“Is that Damen?” The voice asked.

Laurent clenched his jaw, apparently annoyed by the boy’s questions, while Damen silently celebrated. Whoever it was, Laurent had talked to them about him. Suddenly, a brown head of hair appeared next to Laurent, slightly pushing him out of the way. Sure enough, the boy was a teenager, probably not older than fifteen, with a cocky smile that he thought only Laurent could master.

“Hi, I’m Nicaise,” he said, extending his hand. “You must be Damen, right?”

“Yeah, nice to meet you.”

Nicaise smiled, his eyes traveling Damen’s body, spending much too long time on his chest and crouch.

“Nice,” he finally said. “You wanna eat with us? We ordered pizzas.”

“I don’t-“

“He has others things to do,” Laurent firmly said.

“Does he?”

“I don’t,” Damen answered. Laurent was going to kill him.

“See, he doesn’t. Come on, it will be fun.”

Nicaise gave Laurent the best puppy eyes that Damen had ever seen until he had no choice but to agree. After apologizing to Laurent – he wasn’t crazy enough to act like nothing happened- they set up a movie and waited for the pizza to arrive.

He was still unsure of how Nicaise and Laurent were related. From what he understood, Nicaise was an orphan and was in a foster family, but every once in awhile, he would escape the house to visit Laurent. Damen supposed they were friends then. He’d never met one of Laurent’s friend before.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to tell anyone?” he asked once Nicaise had fallen asleep.

“It’s different,” Laurent said, a little defensive.

“How so?”

“He found out on his own. He’s really smart.”

“Oh, well it’s different, then,” Damen laughed.

He saw Laurent’s mouth twisting a little as if he was holding back a smile, but it was gone before he could enjoy it.

“We’re not gonna fuck so you should probably go home.”

He had no choice but to agree, putting his jacket and shoes on before heading toward the door Laurent was holding open.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked before leaving.

They only kissed while having sex. It was an unspoken rule between them. No feelings meant no kissing, no affection.

“I drove all the way to here. I was gonna take someone else home before you texted.”

“Were you?” Laurent asked playfully, apparently not buying it.

“Maybe?”

Laurent shook his head in exasperation before licking his lips.

“You can,” he finally said, with less confidence.

Slowly, as if he was trying to pet a wild cat, he put his hands on Laurent’s waist and brought him closer until their bodies were pressed against each other. Then, with even more care, he placed his lips against Laurent’s and started to kiss him gently. Laurent’s own hands holding Damen’s face in place instinctively.

“See you at work,” Damen said after breaking the kiss.

“I’ll be there by seven.”

“See you at seven, then.”

*********

“Barbecue at my place tonight?” Auguste asked.

“Sure,” Laurent said, his eyes glued to his computer.

“Cool, I’ll ask Damen if he wants to come.”

For a second, Laurent’s body froze. Aguste knew.

“Why would you invite him?” 

“I thought you would like it.”

“I don’t like him.”

“Yeah, right,” Auguste rolled his eyes. “Should I invite him, yes or no?”

“You do what you want, Auguste. You don’t need my permission.”

“Fine, I’ll tell him to come then.”

“Awesome,” Laurent mumbled under his breathe. Just awesome.

*********

“This is the best Greek salad I’ve ever eaten,” Auguste said while refilling his plate. “Right, Laurent?”

“It’s good.”

Short answers. That was the only way he had been responding since he got here. His plan had been to prove to Auguste that there was nothing between Damen and him, but apparently, Damen didn’t get the memo.

He kept looking at him with hearts in his eyes, making small jokes to make him laugh, and even bringing a stupid homemade salad because Laurent had made the mistake of saying he loved it once.

“Do you want more?” Damen asked, a wide smile on his face.

“No.”

He would be lying if he said that his heart didn’t tighten a little when Damen’s smile faded away, but he quickly pushed the feeling aside. It wasn’t his fault Damen couldn’t follow simple rules.

No feelings. He’d warned him more than once. Why should he be the one to blame when Damen ended up hurting himself? It wasn’t fair and yet he could feel Auguste’s judgmental stare on him.

“He’s gonna leave you one day, you know,” Auguste said while Damen went to the bathroom.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” he sighed. “Look, he likes you a lot and I know you like him too. You’re making the both of you suffer for nothing because you’re a suborn ass.”

“I don’t like him. If he likes me, that’s on him, not me.”

“I know you’ve been seeing each other. I’m happy for you.”

“Stop that,” he warned him.

“No, I won’t. You’re my brother and I need to be honest with you. You’re acting like an asshole. Damen doesn’t deserve to be treated like that! He deserved respect and kindness as much as you do.”

“I don’t want kindness and I won’t be nice to him because he was stupid enough to develop feelings. It’s sex for me, nothing more than sex. Why is it so hard to understand?”

“Fine, keep telling yourself that. When he leaves you and you’re left crying don’t expect me to lend you my shoulder.”

“He won’t leave me,” Laurent said angrily. Why was it so hard to understand? For once, he was doing something for himself, enjoying his sexuality and they still found a way to make him feel guilty. “Because I’ll. ”

“What?” Auguste frowned, not following him.

Laurent got up, grabbed his belongings and headed toward the door.

“You’re leaving?” Damen asked, the same innocent smile still on his face. He looked happy. Damen always looked happy.

“Yes,” he harshly said. “And I’m putting a new term in our contract. No more fucking, ever.”

“What? I don’t- I don’t understand.”

He looked broken. It was written in his eyes, on his lips, the way his voice started shaking as if he was on the verge of crying. He did that. He did that to him. He hurt him. He didn’t mean to. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. It was all right though, he told himself, Damen would get over it eventually.

“There’s nothing to understand. We’re done. Go find another sex buddy; I’m sure it won’t be an issue for you.”

With that, he left Auguste’s house, ignoring his brother calling after him.


	4. Chapter 4

Auguste had to take matters into his own hands and did everything he could so Damen and Laurent wouldn’t have to work together. He even went as far as to convince Damen to move to a different office so he wouldn’t have to see Laurent so often.

He was quite amazed by how easily Damen could hide his pain. During the day, he was nothing but professional, never letting any of his emotions show and even interacting with Laurent on some special occasions. Maybe Laurent and Damen had more in common than Auguste thought.

The difference was, once work was over, Laurent was still unaffected by their recent breakup, while Damen was a mess, drinking more than he should and eating even more, all under the worried eyes of Auguste and Nikandros.

“Does he talk about me?” He asked him one day, half-drunk, half-sleepy.

Nikandros and Auguste had agreed to take shift staying with Damen, trying to temper the feelings of loneliness their friend was experiencing.

“He doesn’t talk to me anymore,” Auguste admitted. “He doesn’t even come to our Friday dinners anymore.”

“Maybe he’s sad,” he said with a frown. “You should be with him, not me.”

“I would rather be with you. Laurent… Laurent is fine on his own. He always has been.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Now try to get some sleep.”

How Damen was able to think about Laurent’s well-being after the way he’d treated him was beyond Auguste’s comprehension. He felt quite guilty about the whole thing. If he hadn’t spoken up, Laurent wouldn’t have broken it off and maybe he would have realized he loved Damen.

Truth was, he wasn’t sure Laurent truly loved Damen anymore. Maybe Laurent had told the truth and it was nothing more than sex, an easy way to let go of all the stress he was holding. Or maybe his brother was just really good at pretending.

*********

“Do you think I should text him?” Damen asked him. “Just to tell him happy birthday?”

Auguste thought about it for a moment. Chances were Laurent wouldn’t reply, if he read the message at all, but he also knew that Damen would send the text regardless of his answer.

“If you want, but I don’t think he will answer.”

“He won’t”, Damen said, his phone already in his hands. “But he’ll see.”

“You’re not celebrating his birthday?” Nikandros asked.

“No, I asked him and he said he didn’t want to. I wasn’t gonna force him.”

“Shit, I don’t understand him. I would hate to spend my birthday alone,” Nikandros commented, opening himself another beer.

Auguste clenched his jaw, a deep, unwanted feeling of guilt making its way to his stomach. He hadn’t even thought about it. Laurent was celebrating his birthday on his own, while was he here taking care of Damen.

He knew he had no reason to feel guilty. Laurent had told him no. Maybe if had insisted a little more, he would have agreed to have dinner with him though.

After their parents died and Auguste was sent to a boarding school, they didn’t celebrate their birthdays together for years. Every time their uncle would come up with an excuse as to why Auguste couldn’t come.

When Auguste was twenty-four - after many legal issues caused by their uncle-, he was finally able to get Laurent to live with him. It was right before Laurent’s fourteen birthday and for the first time in eight years, they finally got to celebrate it together.

It had become a tradition and since then, neither of them spends his birthday without the other. Maybe Laurent was more hurt than Auguste thought.

“I need to go,” he suddenly said, getting up from the couch and gathering his things. “I’ll see you at work.”

He didn’t wait for an answer and left the apartment, hopping into his car and driving toward his brother’s home, only stopping once during his drive.

He knocked on his door and waited anxiously for him to answer.

“Auguste?” Laurent frowned when he saw him. “What are you doing here?”

“Well it’s your birthday, isn’t it?”

“I told you I wanted to be alone.”

“Yeah well, you can be alone with me, right?”

“It doesn’t-“

Whatever Laurent wanted to say was interrupted when Auguste held a princess cake in front of him, the only thing he was able to find at nine o’clock. Laurent looked at him for a moment before laughing and Auguste realized how long it had been since he heard him laugh.

“So? Can I come in?”

“Yes, yes you can.”

They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing, remembering stupid things they did when they were younger and embarrassing each other until the moon was slowly disappearing. Then they moved to Laurent’s bedroom and even if he hadn’t invited him to, Auguste laid down on the bed next to him.

“You can’t be serious,” Laurent said with an exaggerated sigh.

“Aw come on, you always loved it when we slept together!”

“Yes, when I was five. I’m not five anymore, you know that, right?”

“You’ll always be five to me! Just don’t come and hug me during the night or else I’ll have to kick you out of the bed.”

Laurent laughed and took his place next to him, turning the light off on his way.

Auguste started to fall asleep, euphoric with happiness. He didn’t realize how much he missed his brother before tonight.

“Auguste?” Laurent whispered after a few minutes.

“Yeah?”

“I miss him. I- You have no idea how much I miss him.”

Auguste frowned and turned over, expecting to face his brother. Instead, he was met with his slightly shaking back. Auguste wrapped his arms around his brother’s waist and tangled their legs together.

“He misses you too. He would forgive you.”

“I can’t- I can’t give him what he wants.”

“Laurent, I think-“

“Just hold me, please,” he pleaded. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

So he did, ignoring the way his own heart clenched with pain as he listened to his little brother’s crying.

*********

Damen got over it, eventually.

It wasn’t sudden, he didn’t even notice it happening really, but slowly, he started to become himself again. His radiant smile returned, and he laughed so loud that he could be heard from the top of the building. Auguste hadn’t realized how well Damen had gotten over it until they were talking about the annual dinner they were supposed to have in less than two months.

“We can’t have a DJ. Most of our associates are still traumatized from last year,” Laurent pointed out.

Auguste agreed, his face twisting when he remembered the disaster of the previous year.

“I know a band. They’re pretty good, I could ask them to send us some of their tunes,” Damen proposed.

“Good idea,” Auguste said. “Well, not that I don’t like being here, but I have things to do, so if we’re done…?”

“Actually,” Damen said as Auguste was getting ready to leave. “Could I get a plus one?”

Auguste’s eyes immediately moved toward Laurent. His brother’s face was unchanged as if nothing happened, but he didn’t miss the way his fingers tightened around his pen.

“Sure,” he said with a smile, “I’ll get Sandy to send you one.”

Damen thanked him before leaving, while Auguste changed his plan and decided to stay a bit longer.

“Are you ok?” he asked Laurent as soon as they were alone.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? Because-“

“I’m fine, Auguste. I’m glad he’s seeing someone, I truly am.”

It was a lie and they both knew it, but Auguste had the decency to not point it out.

*********

After dropping the “plus one” bomb, Damen envisioned a few scenarios for Laurent’s reaction. His favorite was Laurent coming to him and telling him what a terrible mistake he made and how sorry he was and how much he missed him. Another was Laurent coming to him and apologizing, without asking him out, for all the pain he put him through. This one wasn’t his favorite, but he still thought about it. A more realistic one was Laurent telling him that he was happy for him.

They were other scenarios, where Laurent yelled, screamed, cried or simply didn’t react, and every single one of them caused Damen pain. Apart from the first one, he didn’t like the scenarios he came with, because he didn’t want Laurent to be sad, in any way.

In the end, the scenario that actually occurred is the only one that never crossed his mind.

It was one in the morning when his phone started ringing and he picked it up without checking the caller ID, ready to tell them to go fuck themselves.

“Damen?”

Laurent. It was Laurent’s voice, only it sounded rougher than usual.

“Laurent? Are you ok?”

“No.”

“What happened? Where are you?”

“I’m in a bar, I don’t- I don’t even know where. That’s not what I’m calling.”

Damen frowned, turning his light on and searching for his pants. If there’s one thing everybody knew about Laurent, it was that he didn’t drink, under any circumstances. Yet here he was, drunk calling him from a bar full of strangers as if it was normal behavior.

“Where are you? Give me the address and I will come.”

“I don’t need you to come, I’m a big boy.”

“Of course you are, but I want to see you. Is that ok?”

Laurent sighed heavily into the phone, “I supposed, yeah.”

After some more talking, he was able to get an address out of Laurent and he rushed to his car.

Once in the bar, it didn’t take him long to find him. The crowd was thick but only one person was sitting at a table completely alone, his blond hair making him unmistakable even though his face was hidden in his arms.

“Hey there,” he softly said as he slid in next to Laurent. “How are you feeling?”

“Drunk.”

“That’s understandable,” he laughed. “Come on, let’s get you out of there.”

“No!” Laurent complained, holding on the table. “I want to stay here!”

“Alright, alright, we’re staying here.”

“I didn’t tell you to stay.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

Laurent paused for a moment.

“No.”

“Good.”

“Isn’t your girlfriend or whoever gonna get mad?”

“Is that what this is all about?” He frowned, finally putting two and two together. Was Laurent drinking because of him? He didn’t think it would affect him that much. Not like this, at least.

“No,” he lied. “Yes. Maybe. I knew you would move on. It’s just… sooner than I thought.”

“I didn’t think you would care.”

“I do,” he confessed. “I care. And I- it hurts. A lot.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he apologized. He simply wanted Laurent to see that he was moving on, nothing more.

“Don’t apologize, I did that myself.”

“Do you regret it?” He asked, his throat tight.

“No. I know you deserve better.”

“Better than you?” Damen laughed. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Yes, it is. It really is.”

“Even if there was someone better than you, shouldn’t I be the one to decide if I want them more than you?”

“That sentence was too long,” Laurent complained with a frown, putting his head on Damen’s shoulder. “You’re always talking too much. Even during sex.”

“You love it!” He defended himself.

“I do,” he said, “I missed it. I missed you.”

Damen’s heart missed a beat. Laurent missed him.

“Come on love, let’s get you home.”

With a lot of effort from his part and none from Laurent, he was able to get him to his car.

He knew that if he drove them to his own apartment, Laurent would wake up in an unfamiliar place. The last thing he wanted was to freak him out, so he drove to Laurent’s apartment and took his keys from his pocket to open the door, which was actually quite hard since he also had to hold Laurent.

“You’re not making this easy,” he mumbled, dropping Laurent’s into his bed.

He pulled his shoes and pants off, leaving him in underwear and shirt, before dragging the covers over him.

Then, he went to the kitchen and got a glass of water, some aspirin, and a basin that he put next to Laurent.

“You’re gonna regret this so much tomorrow,” he laughed, pulling Laurent’s hair into a ponytail. If he could prevent him from throwing up in his own hair, he would count it as a victory. “Sleep tight, love.”

With that, he made his way back to his car and drove home. Maybe he hadn’t been able to come with the perfect scenario, after all.

*********

The next morning, Laurent did everything he could to avoid him, which neither Damen nor Auguste missed.

When Auguste asked him about it, Damen told him that it was nothing, while Laurent asked him to “_please stop yelling_”.

“Is he hungover?” He asked, a little worried.

“Yeah, but he’s fine, don’t worry.”

“He never drinks.”

“That’s on me.”

“You made my brother drink?” Auguste asked, clenching his jaw.

“No, I mean, he was upset so he drank. Then he called me and I drove him home. That’s all.”

Auguste didn’t sound convinced but he didn’t press things further, choosing instead to call Damen and Laurent “perfect idiots”, through Damen protested he didn’t deserve the title.

Then, Damen made his way to Laurent’s office and made sure to close the door behind him.

“Damen,” Laurent said.

“Laurent.”

“Can I help you?”

“Do you remember what happened last night?”

Laurent shifted awkwardly in his chair but nodded.

“I remember- I remember the bar. Calling you. What happened next. I don’t recall going home though.”

“I drove you.”

“Thank you,” he blushed furiously, which only made Damen smile more.

“You said you missed me.”

“I was drunk.”

“I miss you too,” he confessed, ignoring what he just said. “And I don’t think there’s someone better waiting for me. Even if there is, I don’t want them.”

“You’re seeing someone,” Laurent pointed out.

“No, I’m not.”

This time, it was Damen’s turn to looked uncomfortable. He bit his lip and sat down on the other side of the desk.

“I, uh, I kind of lied? I mean, I didn’t. Not really. I asked for a plus one, but I was gonna bring Nikandros’ sister.”

“You’re dating Nikandros’ sister?” Laurent frowned.

“What? No! It was to make you jealous!”

Laurent’s face lit up when he finally understood but quickly turned red after it.

“Oh. Well, seemed like I gave you what you wanted.”

“Not exactly,” Damen whispered, putting his hand on top of the desk, opened.

“I can’t give you that,” Laurent said. “I know you think that’s what you want, but it’s not. I’m not… I’m not dating material. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

“Then tell me everything.”

“You wouldn’t want me if you knew.”

“There’s nothing that would make me not want you.”

Laurent didn’t answer, his stare fixed on Damen’s face for a few seconds before flipping to his hand.

“There’s a high probability this won’t work.”

“I’m willing to take the risk.”

“I don’t want us to hate each other.”

“You hated me, before,” he pointed out.

“No. I never hated you.”

“I could never hate you, even if I tried,” he promised. “Look, I know you’re scared and that you always want to control things, but Laurent you’re not alone in this. We’re jumping together and I promise I won’t let you fall.”

“I hurt you.”

“And I forgive you.”

Laurent took a big breath and bit his lip, still unsure of what to do.

Then, when Damen was about to collect his pride and leave, Laurent moved his hand and, slowly, put it inside Damen’s.

“HR won’t be happy about it,” he breathed out, his throat apparently as tight as Damen’s.

“Yeah, well, good thing you’re the boss then.”

They smiled at each other and without thinking too much about it, Damen lifted his hand and dropped a kiss on top of Laurent’s.

*********

The Annual Dinner was going well, most of their associates and clients having come despite the incident with the last year’s DJ – which Laurent still refused to talk about- and everybody seemed happy with both the food and drink.

Auguste made a joke to Laurent about not getting drunk again, which earned him a dead stare and a flick behind the ear.

“Damen!” Charles, one of their associates, called. “It’s so good to see you! Why do I feel like you’ve grown up since the last time I saw you?”

“It’s probably the beard,” he said, rubbing his chin. “I’m trying on a new look.”

“Nah, there’s something else. A girlfriend, maybe? Where’s your date?”

“Right here,” he said proudly, pointing to Laurent who was talking to someone.

“What? This old Madam Marcia? Her husband isn’t even dead yet!”

“No, no, not her,” he laughed, “him.”

“I think you’re not pointing to the right spot. There’s only Laurent De Vere over here.”

“Yes, that’s my date.”

“No it’s not,” Charles said with a frown. “He hates your guts!”

“Not anymore, he doesn’t.”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” he laughed. “Make sure to read the wedding contract carefully, my boy.”

He gave him one last pat on the back before going after someone else and almost immediately, Damen felt strong arms coming around his waist.

“What did you say to make Charles laugh so much?” Laurent asked him.

“I said that we were dating.”

Laurent laughed and let Damen drop one of his arms around his waist.

“He didn’t tell you to run?”

“No, but I’m not sure he believed me.”

“Well then, we should prove it to him, shouldn’t we?”

Damen smiled and lowered his head until he was able to reach Laurent’s lips to kiss him, ignoring the few people staring.

“That will give them something to talk about,” he said once the kiss was over. “Better than the DJ-“

“We’re not talking about the DJ,” Laurent warned him.

“Fair enough,” he laughed, kissing him again.

From the other side of the room, he could see Auguste looking at them with a smile on his face. He held Laurent tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I hope you love this fic ! I know it's not really original, but I still wanted to write it.  
Also, I know that brothers don't really share bed and cuddle, but I've decided that Laurent and Auguste do. 
> 
> I'm also on Tumblr with the same username (Winmance), you can come and say Hi !


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